UPDATE 2-Obama says to unveil gun-control proposals this week

January 14, 2013|Reuters

* Proposals to be presented later this week

* Mix of legislative, executive action

* Says "responsible" gun owners have nothing to worry about

By Jeff Mason and Matt Spetalnick

WASHINGTON, Jan 14 (Reuters) - President Barack Obama saidon Monday he would review a set of "common sense steps" toreduce gun violence proposed by Vice President Joe Biden andannounce a plan this week to pursue legislation and measures hecould implement on his own.

Though the proposals have not been made public, a roughoutline of what the president hopes to pursue is clear. Obamareiterated that he would support reinstating a ban on assaultweapons, stricter controls on high-capacity ammunition clips,and stronger background checks.

Biden delivered his recommendations to Obama after a seriesof meetings with representatives from the weapons andentertainment industry as part of a task force requested by thepresident after the Dec. 14 school shooting in Newtown,Connecticut, in which 20 children and six adults were killed.

Obama, who has said the day of the shooting was the worst ofhis presidency, said earlier on Monday he would study thepanel's ideas and then move forward "vigorously" on those thathe endorsed, including some actions he could take withoutcongressional approval.

"I'm confident that there are some steps that we can takethat don't require legislation and that are within my authorityas president," Obama said. "And where you get a step that hasthe opportunity to reduce the possibility of gun violence, thenI want to go ahead and take it."

Biden originally had said he expected to submit his ideas toObama by Tuesday, so their White House meeting on Mondayindicated an even more accelerated schedule than the alreadyhurried pace the vice president's team has followed to date.

A White House official said the president would present his"plan for moving forward" later in the week, but declined topinpoint a day.

The president suggested that changes to how data on gunsused by criminals is gathered and tracked could be made throughan administrative action.

APPEAL TO CONSCIENCE

Obama acknowledged that some of the legislative proposalscould have trouble getting through Congress, but he appealed tolawmakers to listen to their conscience once the legislativeprocess begins.

"Members of Congress, I think, are going to have to have adebate and examine their own conscience," he said.

"If in fact - and I believe this is true - everybody acrossparty lines was as deeply moved ... as I was by what happened inNewtown, then we're going to have to vote based on what we thinkis best. We're going to have to come up with answers that setpolitics aside."

There is opposition in both major parties to restricting the access and availability of guns, although Republicans, whocontrol the House of Representatives, traditionally are seen asbeing more resistant to such efforts.

Obama, a Democrat who won re-election in November, said gunenthusiasts would be hard-pressed to say his administration hadinfringed on their constitutional right to bear arms, and hesaid gun control opponents were responsible for stoking concernsthat had led to long lines at gun stores.

His remarks appeared to be a swipe at the powerful NationalRifle Association gun lobby, which met with Biden on Thursdayand then complained that the White House was trying to limitconstitutionally protected gun rights.

"Those who oppose any common sense gun control or gun safetymeasures have a pretty effective way of ginning up fear on thepart of gun owners that somehow the federal government's aboutto take all your guns away," he said.

"Those of us who look at this problem have repeatedly saidthat responsible gun owners, people who have a gun forprotection, for hunting, for sportsmanship, they don't haveanything to worry about."